Telephone switchboard apparatus



Jan. 26, 1932. H 35 1,842,610

TELEPHONE SWITCHBOARD APPARATUS Filed April 4, 1950 ifii'miiiligr i lallmmllmlnji Ham" H1212 Patented 26, 1932 STARS HARRY H. IDE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AS- SOCIATED ELECTRIC LABORATORIES, INC., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE TELEPHONE SWITOHBOARD APPARATUS Application filed April 4, 1930. Serial No. 441,506.

This invention relates in general to telephone switchboard apparatus of the type in which telephone operators establish connections between subscribers lines, and the broad '5 object of the invention is to design and arrange the apparatus mounted in the face of the switch board in a more economical and advantageous manner.

The principal object of the invention resides in means whereby the various jack strips mounted in the face of the switchboard may be quickly and firmly secured in place or readily removed for replacement or repair without disturbing other jack strips on the switchboard.

A. :t'urther object of the invention resides in the design of a vertical stile strip which is mounted vertically on the face of the switchboard, and serves as a means for mount mg the various jack strips. In previous types of stile strips, the usual arrangement was to drill and tap a number of holes in the face of the stile strip and insert bolts or studs from the rear of the stile strip so that the various jack strips may be properly supported. In this case, the studs or bolts were permanently secured to the stile strip before the assembling of the switchboard so that, although particular positions of jack strips were not required, these bolts would be inserted whether they were needed or not. In assembling the jack strips on the vertical stile strip of this invention, the bolts are only inserted as needed, and in addition have a novel type of washer and nut arrangement for securely holding the jack strip against the stile strip. l Vhere a large vacant space exists on the front of the switchboard which is not equipped with jack strips, a so called dummy or blank strip is inserted to take up this vacant space. in this event, it is only necessary to insert belt at the top and at the bottom of this blank instead of providing bolts which correspond to the position of each jack strip as formerly.

A further object of the invention resides in the design of a stile strip in which a ver* tical channel is provided in the face of the strip, so that bolts may be inserted from the W front thereof and have square heads positioned in the channel, so that when a nut and washer are inserted on the shank of the bolt, the stile strip will hold the bolt from turnmg.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel type of switchboard blank or dummy strip which takes the place or fills up vacant space on the face of the switch board, or where no lamp or ack strips are equipped or provided.

Another object of the invention resides in the means whereby a plurality of various types of jack strips may be supported by a single bolt from. the rear of the switch board and held in position on the vertical stile strips.

In order that a complete understanding of the invention may be had, reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan or top view of a small section of an operators telephone switchboard. a

Fig. 2 is a front view of a section of the switchboard taken from the front side of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of a section of the switchboard shown from the rear side of 2, while Fig. 4 shows a detail of the washer and nut assembly for holding the ack strip on the switchboard.

Although only a small section of the switch board has been illustrated, it will be understood that the whole face of the switchboard will be similarly arranged with various ack strips as is well known.

Suitably arrange-d across the face of the switchboard and evenly spaced apart thereon, are a number of vertical. stile strips 1, which are mounted in a. vertical position and fastened atthe top and at the bottom of the board. These stile strips 1 are made of heavy metal, and each have a channel 2 cut in the front of them so that the stile strips assume a U-shape. Each stile strip 1 has a plurality of eventlyspaced holes 3 drilled in the bottom of the channel 2 and arranged so that they correspond to the space occupied. by apair of jack strips. The bolts 4 each have a square head on them and are inserted in the holes 3 of the vertical stile strips 1 so that the head registers with the sides of the channel 2. The bolts are placed in the stile strip as they are needed, and each bolt 4 projects backward from the stile strip 1 and has threaded on to it a nut 5 which is formed as part of the washer 6, and arranged so that the washer 6 may be rotated without tightening or loosening up the nut 5- from the bolt 4, as shown in Fig. 4.

The spring jack strip 7 and the lamp strip 8 are mounted one above the other in alternate positions and are of the well-known type. The spring jack strip 7 has a block of insulat ing material forming the front supporting surface of the strip, while the jack springs 11 are inserted in similar insulating material on the rear, and clamp between a pair of metal plates 10, so as to rigidly hold them in position on the jack strip. The insulating support on the front of the jack strip 7 has a plurality of rows of holes, whereby an operators switchboard plug may be inserted to make contact with the spring jack combination 11. The ends of the jack 7 are held in spaced relationship by the U-shaped metal pieces 12 which are fastened to the rear of the jack strip 10 by screws, and also to the front end of the jack strip. The U-shaped mounting pieces 12 are countersunk into the insulating material 10 and the front of the jack so that they will be flush with the top and bottom surfaces. The front ends of the supporting members 12 are notched so that they fit around the edges of the stile strip 1 on each end of the jack strip. This enables the jack strip to fit width as indicated at 9.

various jacks.

snugly and flush with the face of the switchboard. The lamp jack strips 8 are similarly arranged as ack strip 7.

Occasionally the front face of the telephone switchboard has a number of blank spaces on it which are not equipped with either the lamp jacks 8, the spring jacks 7 or any other type of jacks, but are arranged so that at some future period they can be equipped with these In order to fill up the blank spaces, the blank metal strips or so-called dummies 9 are provided. These may be of the same thickness as the jack strips, as shown at 9, or they may be twice as wide or any Each blank 9 is constructed of thin sheet metal bent into channel shape with each corner notched and bent at right angles from the front face of it so that a triangular-shaped piece 15 of the same inaterial can be inserted in each corner and the whole spot-welded together as indicated at 16. Each edge of the blank 9 has spot-welded to it at 18 the supporting member 17 which has upturned ears on each end. hen the blank 9 is inserted in the swi chboard between a pair of the vertical stile strips 1, the front end of the supporting member 17 butts up against the rear of the stile strip so that the front edge of the blank 9 will be flush with the front of each stile strip.

From the foregoing, it is seen that either strips are set into position on the switchboard and against the rear surfaces of the vertical stile strips 1, the nuts 5 on the bolts 4 are turned up tight until the washers 6 strike the.

rear edgesof the blank-supporting members 17 and the jack-supporting members 12. This forces the jack strips tight up against the rear surface of the stile strip and securely holds them into position on the switchboard as a unit.

' By referring now to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the stile 1, on the right-hand side of this figure, has the low-er bolt 4 positioned in the center of the space occupied by four of the strips. The washer 6 overlaps the edges of the supporting members 12 and 17 of each of the strips so that each washer together with its nut 5 firmly clamps fourof the jack strips at one time against the stile 1. The holes 13 in the washers Gare for the purpose of accommodating a prong-shaped tool so that the washer 6 can be held in its proper position at the time the nut 5 is turned down tight unto the bolt l. The washer 6 has a quarter section of it cut away so that when it is desired to remove a jack strip 7, lamp strip 8 or a blank 9' from any of their positions on the face of the switchboard, the special tool is inserted in the holes 13 and the washer given a quarter turn or twist in either direction, while at the same time maintaining the nut 5 tight on the bolt 4 so that the washer does not altogether come too loose from the bolt. In this manner, an opening is left opposite each end of any of the stile strips which are to be removed and they can very easily be pulled straight back from their positions and taken out as indicated in Fig. 3. The washers 6 on each side of the jack strips of the stile strip are then rotated back to their original positions, or they may be left as they are so that they may hold the remaining jack strips into their normal positions.

In this manner it will be seen that any jack strip or any blank strip may be removed without disturbing adjacent strips or loosening them up. Likewise, the washer 6 or the nut 5 may be turned or removed from the bolt 4 without the necessity of withdrawing the head of the bolt from the front end of the stile strip 1, the square head of the bolt at preventing its turning stile strip 1 and covers the channel with the bolt heads at in it, and it is held on to the stile strip 1 by means of countersunk. screws 21 spaced at appropriate intervals throughout the length of each strip 20.

The former type of blank spacers or dummies 9 and 9'. were frequently constructed oi wood cut out in the proper sha e or several pieces of wood glued together to form the blank. This was not altogether a satisfactory arrangement, due to the r'act that breakage continually occurred at the points where the various pieces of wood were joined together when the dummy or blank was tightened into position on the switchboard. Also, due to changes in climatic conditions, the wood contracted or expanded and presented an uneven appearance on the face of the s chboard. The above disadvantages are all eliminated by employing a blank or dummy constructed of metal as described. lilac to the shape of the blank, considerable more strength is applied to it and danger of breal zage is practically negligent.

FY0111 the foregoing it will be seen that a novel and compact type of construction of mounting jack strips on a switchboard is pro-- ed, wherein each ack strip may be indinally demounted from the face of the switchboard for repair or adjustment with out disturbing adjacent strips, and also providing a novel type of dummy or blank spacer, all parts of which are economically manufactured, the whole being combined into a substantial unitary structure.

What is claimed is:

In a telephone switchboard, a plurality of spaced vertical stile strips, a plurality of liorizontally-disposed jack strips arranged between said stile strips, said stile strips having a channel extending throughout their length with spaced holes therein, squareheaded belts in said holes and channel for mounting said jack strips on said stile strips, and means on said bolts for permitting removal of any of said jack strips without loosening said bolts from said stile strips.

in a telephone switchboard, spaced vertical stile strips each having a longitudinal channel with spaced holes in the channel, horizontally-disposed jack strips arranged between each pair of stile strips, bolts supported in the holes of said stile strips, and means on each of said bolts for supporting a plurality of said jack strips on each of said stile strips and for removing any of said acl; strips while supporting the remaining ones on said stile strips.

3. In a telephone switchboard, verticallyos-ed stile strips each comprising a longiinal channel with spaced holes therein, horizontally-disposed jack strips between pairs of said stile strips, bolts in the holes of said stile strips having heads registering wit-h said channel to prevent the turning of the bolts, and means on each of said bolts for supporting a plurality oi said jack strips on said stile strips, and for removing any out said jack strips without loosening said bolts from said stile strips.

l. In a telephone switchboard, verticallydisposed stile strips each having spaced holes arranged in a longitudinal channel, bolts extending through said holes and having heads arranged in said channel to pre'ventturning of the bolts, a nut having a washer formed thereon threaded on each of said bolts, and a plurality of horizontally-disposed jack strips reinovab-ly supported on each of said stile strips by said bolts between the rear of said stile strips and said nut and washer, said. washer permitting the removal of said jack strip without loosening said bolt from said stile strip.

5. In a telephone switchboard, the combination of spaced vertical stile strips having spaced holes arranged in a channel in the stile strips, bolts extending through said holes and having their heads registering with said channel so as to prevent turning of the bolts, a nut and washer on each of said bolts, said washer formed as part of said nut but arranged to turn independent of it and having a quarter section cut out, a plurality of jack strips arranged between pairs of said stile strips and supported against the rear of said. stile strips by said nut and washer on said bolts, and means for turning said washer so that said out out quarter section registers with one of said jack strips for removing the same.

6. In a telephone switchboard, the combination of spaced vertical stile strips having holes arranged in a channel in the stile strip, bolts extending through said holes and having heads lying in said channel to prevent turning thereof, a nut and washer formed as a unit threaded on each of said bolts on the rear of said stile strigs, horizontally-disposed lamp and spring jacks removably supported on said stile strip by said nut and washers on said bolts, and metal blank members formed to conform to the size and shape of said lamp and spring jacks tor occupying unequipped spaces on said switchboard, said blank members supported on said stile strips by said nuts and washers on said bolts.

7. In a telephone switchboard wherein spaced vertical stile strips have channels and holes for supporting bolts and wherein a plurality of horizontally-disposed spring and lamp jacks are removably supported on said stile strips by said bolts, a blank metal mem her for occupying the space in said switch board where no lamp or spring jacks are equipped, said blank member having a front surface conforming to the shape of said jacks and a rearwardlyextending projection on each end, and means on each of said projections on said blank member for supporting said member on said stile strips by said bolts.

8. In a telephone switchboard, spaced verticalstile strips each having a channel extending throughout its length, jack strips horizontally disposed between said stile strips, bolts extending through holes in said channel to the rear of said jack strips, a nut threaded on said bolt to clamp the jack strips against the rear of said stile strips, the channel of said stile strips preventing turning of said bolt when the nut is tightened, and a washer on said bolt disposed between the nut and ack strip for permitting the removal of the jack strip without loosening the nut from I I the bolt.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 27th day of March, A. D. 1930.

HARRY H. IDE. 

